A few years ago I found a unique book by Horace Bristol on his photography of Japan, from 1949.
Although the tradition is still maintained across many parts of Japan, the skinny-dipping practices of old have largely been lost.
No matter the origin, a reverence for pearls spread throughout the world over the ensuing millennia.
Besides — You want to attain a rough parity for gender inequality of the past? No doubt someone of our era would romanticize such a time, but I embrace that illusion.